About Trucks Drive a Cleaner Tomorrow

The American Trucking Associations is committed to a bold sustainability program
that will have an immediate impact on the environment, reducing fuel consumption
by 86 billion gallons and thus reducing the carbon footprint of all vehicles by
nearly a billion tons over the next ten years.

Our new plan will extend the significant progress industry has already made over
the past 24 years in reducing its carbon footprint and overall impact on the environment.
Delivering Economic Value: Trucking is the driving force behind the nation's economy
moving 11 billion tons of freight each year. Trucks deliver 100 percent of all consumer
products and 70 percent of all freight tonnage; 80 percent of U.S. communities receive
their goods exclusively by truck.

Lowering Our Carbon Footprint: Thanks to ATA's cooperation with
the government and 37,000 affiliates to develop and encourage use of its sustainability
recommendations, the program will reduce fuel consumption by 86 billion gallons
and CO2 emissions from all vehicles by 900 million tons in the next 10 years, ATA
estimates.

Drive Smart Tips

The trucking industry is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and overall impact on the environment. For consumers looking to play their part, we offer the following tips from AAA and the U.S. Government’s fueleconomy.gov Web site.

Drive Sensibly
Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33%

Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.18-$1.16/gallon

Observe the Speed Limit
While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.

As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.

Remove Excess Weight
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Recommendations

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is committed to a series of measures designed
to further reduce the carbon emissions of trucks in the United States. Our recommendations
are practical and achievable and will deliver immediate benefit. In an industry
with thin profit margins and escalating fuel costs, increasing fuel efficiency and
minimizing fuel consumption are major goals of any trucking company. Those goals
coincide with the global need for industries to reduce their carbon footprint and
their overall environmental impact.

With its 37,000 members and affiliated organizations, ATA is confident that the
trucking industry can make a major contribution to the move toward a sustainable
economy.